Solano County 6th in California in youth homicide rate

A new statewide study ranked Solano County high in 2011 youth homicide rates, according to findings released Wednesday by the Violence Policy Center.

The annual study, which analyzes unpublished data from the California Department of Justice Supplementary Homicide Report, compares the rates of the state's homicide victims between the ages of 10 and 24 by county, race, ethnicity, the weapon used, circumstance and location.

With San Joaquin County at No. 1 for youth homicides, with approximately 21.29 per 100,000, the county's rate was nearly three times the state's overall rate of 7.87 per 100,000, the study reported.

Solano County is ranked No. 6, with 13.71 youth homicides per 100,000, according to the report, which also contained a detailed analysis of the victims' gender, race/ethnicity, the most common weapons used, the victim's relationship to the offender relationship, circumstance and the location.

Vacaville police Chief Richard Word credited a number of the homicides to recruitment by area gangs and the violence that stems from gang activity.

"When a young person is shot, typically -- not always -- they were involved in some sort of criminal activity," Word said. "Hanging out with the wrong crowd. It's sad."

Ultimately, Word said, many times the issue begins with parenting -- or a lack thereof.

"I hate to say this, but some of our parents are failing. Most do a wonderful job, but we see it far to often (that) those young people involved in crime are victimized," he said. "We have resources available that some parents choose not to take advantage of. That's why we have our diversion program in school for our low-level offenders and we have our counselors at school, the Boys & Girls Club does a good job, our PAL program does a good job.

"But the parents have to ensure that these kids take advantage of these programs and not let a video game or television program serve as a babysitter."

The study also identified local violence prevention programs that appear to be working to curb the youth homicide rate.

Despite the boost in Solano, across the rest of the state, the rate dropped for the third year in a row -- from 10.48 per 100,000 in 2009, to 8.48 per 100,000 in 2010, to 7.87 per 100,000 in 2011.

San Francisco County, with 18.04 youth homicides per 100,000, was second. Monterey County, which was ranked first in 2009 and 2010, dropped to third as the result of a continuing decrease in its homicide rate for this age group -- down from 31.24 per 100,000 in 2009 to 16.96 in 2011.

Alameda (16.82) and Contra Costa (14.74) were fourth and fifth, respectively. Tulare, Stanislaus, Los Angeles and Santa Cruz round out the top 10. To help ensure more reliable rates, only counties with a population of 25,000 or more youth and young adults were included in the study.

Firearms -- specifically handguns -- were overwhelming found to be the weapon of choice, according to the study. In 625 homicides in which the weapon could be identified, 83 percent of victims died by gunfire, and of these, 73 percent were handguns.

The study also found vast demographic disparities, as young blacks were reportedly 18 times more likely to be homicide victims than young Caucasians, and young Hispanics more than four times more likely. Fifty-five percent of victims were Hispanic, 32 percent were black, 8 percent white, 5 percent Asian and less than 1 percent were identified as "other."

"Homicide rates for youth and young adults across California have shown a steady decline," according to Josh Sugarmann, VPC executive director and one of the authors of the study. "Yet homicide, and gun homicide in particular, continues to exact an unacceptable toll on California youth.

"Effective violence-prevention strategies in California that stress tailored, localized approaches that engage local leaders and community stakeholders are leading the way in reducing this lethal toll. The strategies that are working to reduce youth violence in California can and should serve as a model for other states and the nation."